I'll Be Your Valentine
by KnightandJesterArt
Summary: Orochimaru wakes up one morning after having a sentimental dream about his past. He decides to seek out his old friend, Jiraiya, even though the last thing he wants to do is go out in the cold, February air. One-Shot. Jiraiya x Orochimaru. Shounen Ai.


It was mid February, and Orochimaru was sound asleep under a mountain of blankets. He detested the cold, and as such, he hardly left his bed if he could help it. Resting his aching body was the excuse he gave Kabuto and Sasuke, but really… he just couldn't be bothered to get out of bed. He was content to stay snuggled up against his overly-large pillow, and wrapped in nearly a dozen wool blankets. He had stayed in bed all day, and had only gotten up to eat and use the bathroom. Evening came quickly, and brought a deep, dream-filled sleep to Orochimaru.

—Dream—

"Aw, this sucks!" Young Jiraiya crossed his arms over his chest with a loud huff. He and Orochimaru were in the training grounds, but they hadn't gotten too much training done.

The raven haired boy turned to his companion. "Huh? What's the matter, Jiraiya?" He tilted his head in question, feeling a little concerned for his friend.

Jiraiya sighed. "I just... it's Valentine's Day, and I don't have a valentine."

Orochimaru raised a brow. "What's so special about having a valentine? Aren't you just going to dump them at the end of the day anyway?"

"Oh you don't understand, Orochimaru! Getting to spend a whole day with a girl, and she gives you chocolates! And then at the end of the day you get a kiss! Or, it would be nice to get one anyway… but at this rate, I don't think I'm getting any of that." He sighed and stared at the ground glumly.

Thinking that over for a moment, Orochimaru placed a hand on Jiraiya's shoulder. "Hey… would you like me to help find you a valentine before the end of the day?"

Jiraiya's eyes went wide with delight as he nearly jumped his teammate. "Ah! Really?!" He smiled brightly. "You'd do that for me?"

Surprised by the close proximity, Orochimaru simply nodded. "W-Well, um… yes." He gulped nervously. "Uh, what are friends for, right?"

And so, the two of them set out in search of a valentine for young Jiraiya. When Jiraiya would approach a girl on his own, he was flat-out rejected. When he approached a girl with Orochimaru at his side, he would hold her attention until she realized it was _not_ in fact Orochimaru that was asking her out. The two of them spent hours going around Konohagakure, but they had little to no luck. It was now late afternoon, and poor little Jiraiya had been through too many rejections to try any longer. He slumped against a tree and sighed in defeat.

Orochimaru frowned at the sad look on his friend's face. "And at the end of the day you get a kiss…." Jiraiya's words from before kept running through Orochimaru's head, and an idea struck him that made his face turn red. "Uhm, say, Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya slowly looked over at him. "…yeah?"

Orochimaru leaned closer, cupped Jiraiya's face, and placed a gentle kiss on his left cheek.

Jiraiya's face was bright red. "W-What was that for?!"

"Well…" Orochimaru looked away in embarrassment. He took a deep breath and turned back to Jiraiya. "You… you just seemed so sad that you weren't able to find a valentine, and I knew getting a kiss at the end of the day was something you really wanted, so…"

Even though he was blushing in total embarrassment, Jiraiya still managed a small smile. "T-Thanks, Orochimaru. Not many guys would do that for their friends…" He gave a nervous chuckle and scratched the back of his head.

"Friends, right…" Orochimaru sighed and frowned.

"Huh? What's up?"

Orochimaru shook his head. "Nothing, I'm okay. I'm just tired; I think I'll go home. See ya later, Jiraiya."

—Dream End—

Orochimaru woke up the next morning with an odd feeling in his chest. _"That dream…"_ He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. _"How odd that I would remember that all these years later."_ He sat up and turned to his calendar. _"I wonder…"_ He realized then, that it was February 14th. He chuckled fondly at the memory that came to him as a dream. _"I'm sure you still don't have a valentine, Jiraiya…"_ He sighed. His back was rather sore from laying in bed for so long. He decided to get up and stretch, even going so far as to take a shower. It was his first shower in three days. He really had had no intention of doing anything. After his shower, he came to the conclusion that he would seek out Jiraiya. He dressed in a black turtleneck, matching black pants, and his favorite blue and white kimono. He threw on a pair of Otogakure-standard sandals, and left his room. He made his way through the many hallways of his lair, and entered Kabuto's lab. He was rather surprised to find both Kabuto and Sasuke inside the small chamber. "Good morning, you two. I will be heading out now. I have something important to do, and I'm not sure how long I will be gone. Should I be late getting back, change lairs as scheduled." He turned on his heel and left without giving either of them a chance to speak.

Orochimaru had spent all morning tracking down his old friend. He'd found several leads, but no one had a solid location on Jiraiya. He would break for breakfast, and then for lunch, but each time he barely ate a thing. He was too concerned with whether or not he would find Jiraiya. It wasn't until late afternoon that he got a solid lead on the toad sage. It led him to a rather busy looking village on the outskirts of Iwagakure. He approached the woman at the front desk, and flashed her a polite smile. "Excuse me, I'm supposed to meet an old friend here. Tall, muscular build, and spiky-white hair. Should be under the name 'Jiraiya'."

The receptionist nodded and turned to her book. "Of course, give me just a moment." After scanning through the guest list for a moment or two, she returned her attention to Orochimaru and smiled softly. "Your friend is staying on the second floor, room 18."

Orochimaru's heart skipped a beat at the news. Whether he was getting excited or nervous, he couldn't tell. "Thank you." He made his way around the desk and to the stairwell. He scanned the hall, and noticed that Jiraiya's was the last room on the left hand side. He approached the door, took a deep breath, and gently knocked on its hard surface.

The door opened a moment later, and sure enough, it was Jiraiya who had opened it. He looked pleasantly surprised to see his old friend standing before him. "Well, well, you were the last person I expected to see at my door, Orochimaru."

The snake-man chuckled softly. "May I come in? I've brought chocolates." He held up a plastic bag for Jiraiya to see. "After all, I'm sure you don't have a valentine this year, seeing as how quickly you answered the door."

Jiraiya felt his face heat up. "Uh… oh." He chuckled nervously. "Well, come in I guess." He stepped aside and allowed Orochimaru to follow him. He sat on the bed, and patted a spot beside himself. He waited to speak until after Orochimaru sat down next to him. "So, what reason could you have to visit little old me?"

Orochimaru laughed softly. "I thought I told you already. I'm here because you need a valentine."

Jiraiya blushed and let out another nervous chuckle. "Come on, stop joking, Orochimaru."

"I am not joking. I have spent the past week and a half in bed, away from the cold, completely ignoring my subjects. I woke up after a dream reminded me of that one Valentine's Day we spent together. It made me realize just how much I've missed you…" He trailed off for a moment. "… I spent all day tracking you down, and believe me, it wasn't easy. And now that I have come all this way offering to be your valentine, you pushed aside my feelings with a joke."

Jiraiya's eyes went wide. "Wait…you're… you're being serious?" He received nothing more than a small nod. "So, even back then? You mean you… me…?"

Orochimaru sighed softly. "Yes. As big a moron as you are, I had developed feelings for you in our youth. You wanted nothing to do with me, however; so I decided to give up on you." He laid his head down on Jiraiya's right shoulder. "But now… now I am exceedingly lonesome. Sure I have Kabuto, and Sasuke, and the rest of my followers… but to put it simply, none of them are you." He shifted into a more comfortable position against Jiraiya's broad chest and smiled. "Don't get me wrong, you are the biggest pain in the ass I've ever met."

Jiraiya laughed cheerfully at that comment. "Well, since you seem to be in a sentimental mood, I should probably share something with you too. It broke my heart to see you leave the village. And it broke my heart that I couldn't ever get you to come home. But now I understand it was probably my own fault you left in the first place. Had I not been so caught up in all the women that were not in my life, I might have paid attention to the young man in my life." He looked down to see Orochimaru smiling a small, content smile. "I suppose it's no good to dwell on the past, is it?"

Orochimaru shook his head slowly, and yawned against Jiraiya's chest. His eyes were becoming heavy, and he could barely keep them open. "Hmm… I think I overexerted myself today…" He yawned again and nuzzled against Jiraiya, nearly climbing onto his lap in the process. "You aren't going to make me leave are you?"

Chuckling softly, Jiraiya ran his fingers through Orochimaru's hair. "Nope, you go ahead and sleep, Orochimaru." He repositioned Orochimaru so that he was laying across his lap. "I'll be here when you wake up."

Orochimaru yawned again, and gave Jiraiya a mischievous smile. "I'm going to hold you to that." He nuzzled into his friend, and spoke softly. "After all, I'm the only valentine you've had in the past forty years. You owe me."


End file.
